Side Effects (2013)

A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Scott Z. Burns

Stars:

Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rooney Mara	...	Emily Taylor
Carmen Pelaez	...	Prison Desk Guard
Marin Ireland	...	Upset Visitor
Channing Tatum	...	Martin Taylor
Polly Draper	...	Emily's Boss
Ann Dowd	...	Martin's Mother
Haraldo Alvarez	...	Garage Attendant
Jude Law	...	Dr. Jonathan Banks
James Martinez	...	Police Officer at Hospital
Vladimir Versailles	...	Augustin
Jacqueline Antaramian	...	Desk Nurse
Michelle Vergara Moore	...	Joan
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Dr. Victoria Siebert
Katie Lowes	...	Conference Organizer
David Costabile	...	Carl

Storyline

Emily Taylor, despite being reunited with her husband from prison, becomes severely depressed with emotional episodes and suicide attempts. Her psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks, after conferring with her previous doctor, eventually prescribes an experimental new medication called Ablixa. The plot thickens when the side effects of the drug lead to Emily killing her husband in a "sleepwalking" state. With Emily plea-bargained into mental hospital confinement and Dr. Banks' practice crumbling around him, the case seems closed. However, Dr. Banks cannot accept full responsibility and investigates to clear his name. What follows is a dark quest that threatens to tear what's left of his life apart even as he discovers the diabolical truth of this tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

clinical trial | psychiatrist | side effect | depression | psychiatrist patient relationship | 

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Taglines:

In some instances, death may occur.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

French English

Release Date:

8 February 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Side Effects

Filming Locations:

Taconic Correctional Facility, Bedford Hills, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,303,145 (USA) (8 February 2013)

Gross:

$32,154,410 (USA) (10 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Endgame Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, Di Bonaventura Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Soderbergh considered casting Lindsay Lohan for the role of Emily and he auditioned her three times. However, producers felt that her ongoing legal issues would disrupt the production process. Rooney Mara was eventually cast for the part.

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Goofs

The opening scene shows the murder scene, following Emily's bloody footprints from the kitchen to the bedroom. Later in the film, when the stabbing is depicted, Emily walks toward the bed leaving no footprints, and the camera shows a clear shot of her feet which have no blood on them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Female Guard: Front door!
Prison Desk Guard: I can't let it in unless I see it.
Upset Visitor: I know. I know what the rules are. I'm just asking if you can make an exception.
Prison Desk Guard: There are no exceptions. That's why we have rules.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Hangover Part III (2013)

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Soundtracks

Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067 - Menuet & Rondeau
Performed by Alice Hamlet, Jessica Nelson, and Ann Marie Yoo
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

It isn't what you think--superbly acted and directed

Side Effects (2013)

Tightly scripted, superbly cast and acted, well-crafted movie all around. This is in a conventional story-telling style but the details are so finely tuned it's a pleasure, and a suspense, all through.

I'm not sure who gets more credit, Jude Law in his role as Dr. Banks, a truly well-meaning psychiatrist or Rooney Mara as Emily, the patient (in various stages, and not always so well-meaning). Both are brilliant and believable. You half expect them to click romantically, but that you'll have to see about.

The plot, at first, has to do with Emily dealing with her husband getting out of jail (he was in for insider trading). Then with her depression coping with it all. Then with the pills she's taking for same. Then with the apparent side effects of the medication, which loom as a whole new horror story.

And that's just the beginning. There are surprises (one of them hinted at in the opening scene) and then further and further twists. The plot threatens to get overly sensational but somehow keeps itself in check. So the movie becomes increasingly a thriller with its feet on the ground. Always interesting.

Director Steven Soderbergh is a true artist movie maker. And you can feel things finely tuned and in control here. He has never been the kind of auteur as the famous greats like Coppola or Kubrick or more recently even Nolan (whatever the excesses of the latter). But within the conventions of conventional movies, he usually makes really watchable, polished, and visually beautiful movies. That's very true here.